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“For an independent agent, having a plan, specific processes and a partner to keep you accountable is priceless.” As we head into the final weeks of 2014, now is the time to be planning for next year.  As we have studied top performers in our organization, in sports and business, we’ve noticed that a plan…

2015 New Year’s Resolution: Take online marketing by the horns and ride it to success. Sure, things are going well, but you can always use more customers, right? What is the most effective way to grow your reach? Increasingly, social media, and Facebook in particular, is becoming the answer to this question. The number of…

More and more consumers are looking for the guarantees and income provided by fixed annuity products as part of their retirement strategy, and the proof is in the pudding! The growth of Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs) continued in the third quarter of 2014. Our friend and industry thought leader Sheryl Moore’s report showed that 3rd…

We talk a lot about learning and continuous improvement. I have an advantage. I get to work with over 250 premier retirement planners, many of whom share their tips for success. Thanks to Rene in California for introducing me to Coach Joe Lukacs.  Among other things, I get a daily dose of BrainFood from Coach…

Can you believe that it’s November already? It seems like just yesterday we were enjoying all the things that summer had to offer. I had to flip the page on my calendar and it suddenly became real. We are just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving and a little over a month away from Christmas!…

Study after study talks about the importance of continual learning. If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to set up a Google alert to send you articles daily on topics you want to learn about. In business, I get a daily feed on retirement planning, entrepreneurship, annuities and other topics.  I skim them quickly and…

My grandfather was a preacher and my multi-talented father has never shied away from offering “sermons” on relationships, business and life. One lesson that has been particularly true in my life and in working with over 250 retirement income planners is “you have to get your hands in the soil.” “Do you know how a…

With awareness of Social Security benefits increasing, many people are starting to say “OK, OK, I get it, the longer I wait to collect benefits, the larger they’ll be.” But if you’re married (or even if you WERE married), spousal benefits add a whole new wrinkle to the picture (and most of us Boomers don’t…

Our most successful agents are growing, asking questions, trying new things…the agents who struggle seem to elicit more of a fixed mindset (“i.e. seminars don’t work,” “I don’t understand annuities,” “I don’t have any money to market”). Recently, I read a fascinating Khan Academy article titled “Why I’ll Never Tell My Son He’s Smart” that…